Forte: Sky Times.

Forte play the Waterloo Hotel on Friday and Splendour In The Grass at the Belongil Fields, Byron Bay on July 20.

Byron Bay’s premier volume merchants Forte are gonna rock you. There’s no escape, and no point trying. By why would you want to? They’re cranking out some massive sounds, writing some scorching songs, and you can hook up with them this very weekend. We’ll let frontperson Andy take it from here.

You guys have landed the Fu Manchu tour as well as Splendour In The Grass. How did it all come about? Spending big bucks on lots of hefty bribes?

“Yeah man... bribes, backstabbing, sweet-talking, shady deals and hard lovin'. We busted out all the cheap shots this time! Now there is no turning back. We are all headed for a life laced with sleaze, smut and excess. With a foundation based on corruption, we really have no choice but to take it all the way now. Seriously, sometimes things just seem to work out how you wanted them too, and you really do have no say in the matter once you've sold your soul...”

Fu Manchu have a car on their album cover, and you guys having a pushbike. Is this some indication in the difference in volume you’ll be pushing out?

“We're gonna be doing the old peg and card in the spokes trick for these shows. That little treadly is gonna be pushing out some decibels. Might even invest in some spokey-dokies for the Brisbane show. We're all amped up for these gigs. We are gonna put on a rock'n'roll show, and if it's volume you want, there should be plenty of that!”

Have you guys done the big rock festival thing before? What are you expecting?

“Splendour will be our first big festival and probably the biggest P.A. that we have played through to date. I am expecting muchos consumption from all members of Forte. I am expecting lots of fine music, good vibes, sunshine and a nasty hangover on the following Monday that will probably last a few days. Byron Bay knows how to have a party... It's gonna be tops!”

Your most recent single Skychaser sounds quite different to your Tripping EP. Kinda more organic and a bit fuzzier rather than crunchy. How did it all come together?

“We had a bit more time to work on Skychaser, it's kind of a sign of things to come I guess. We recorded onto 2-inch tape this time, which kind of fattened out the sound a bit and we spent more time on pulling a cool sound rather than polishing up the edges too much. I guess that it is closer to our live sound.”

How would you describe what Forte is about?

“Forte is about promoting a good time in the grimiest way possible. We aren't trying to break any new boundaries. Basically we all just wanna get out there and blow some eardrums, blow some cash and blow some minds!”

Your tunes crop up on a lot of Surf related stuff. Where are Australia's best waves?

“Well they definitely aren't here this afternoon, that's for sure. But on a good day...”

What's next for you guys? When are we going to see an album?

“Our next project is a tour of all the speedways around the country. Lots of loud cars, petrol fumes, rock'n'roll and dust clouds. We have started work on our album and hope to have it finished by early September, with a release sometime in October. Think heavy.”